Sports Ultimate Frisbee Tournament in NC (K-7, F*300, F135) [8 img]

I went out to an ultimate frisbee tournament that was being hosted nearby and shot some photos a couple weekends ago. This particular tournament is part of the championship series for the UPA (Ultimate Players Association, the governing body for sanctioned play of the sport). This was the sectionals tournament for North Carolina, after which would be Regionals and then Nationals. I was mostly following the team known as "Ring of Fire," who have been a contender for the national title on a regular basis.

I was dual weilding a K-7 and K200D, trying out a few different setups. I had a DA*50-135/2.8, F135/2.8, and F*300/4.5. Also fired a few off with the K135/2.5 just for fun. I kept the F* on the K-7 a lot, as it provided good reach when the action moved down the field. The DA* was a good option on the K200D when the action came closer, but I ended up using the F135 more because I wanted my second camera to be smaller and lighter.

The K-7 handled great for sports with the 5.2 fps giving a nice advantage when I was unsure how something was going to play out. Of course, 5.2 fps won't save you from having bad timing, and I certainly didn't rely on it for most of my shots. AF seemed to be good in most cases shooting at max aperture of F4.5 with the K-7 and F*, occasionally it would miss but usually due to foreground players or fans confusing the AF system. AF point AUTO selection seemed to give the best results, since the players could be in different parts of the frame from time to time and switching AF points on the fly to match was unreliable for me.

The K200D wasn't quite as well-suited, and the AF system didn't seem as consistent or accurate for the type of action I was shooting. I kept my F135 at F4 to get a good balance between DOF, subject isolation, and shutter speed. Of course it still provided some great shots, not at all saying that the K200D is incapable of sports shooting, you just have to be smarter about it and realize the camera's shortcomings. I don't mind. I even enjoy shooting MF for sports such as this, but since I was dual-wielding I didn't want to have to worry about that.

unfortunately I think I must have dropped the tripod mount for my F*300 out of my bag by accident and left it at the fields. To add insult to injury, I wasn't even using the tripod mount, I was shooting handheld, so it stayed in my bag the whole time (well, almost...had to rearrange at one point...doh). Fed up with myself because I know I won't be able to find a replacement without buying another F*300.

It was mostly sunny out there both days, so getting high shutter speeds was pretty easy.

The whole gallery, split up in the several games that I shot, can be found at my new Zenfolio Gallery.

Here are some of the hightlights. Comments + critique very welcome.

1. Flying
K-7, ISO400, 1/1000, F4.5, F*300


2. Extension
K-7, ISO400, 1/1000, F4.5, F*300


3. Easy as Pie
K200D, ISO400, 1/1000, F4, F135


4. Layout Grab
K-7, ISO200, 1/1000, F4.5, F*300


5. Throwin' Fakes
K-7, ISO200, 1/1250, F4.5, F*300


6. Skying
K-7, ISO200, 1/800, F5, F*300


7. Defeat
K-7, ISO400, 1/800, F5.6, F*300


8. Ring of Fire, North Carolina Sectional Champs
K-7, ISO400, 1/800, F5.6, F135 (2 images stitched together...should have switched for my WA, but oh well)


Thanks!

[timbo13]

nice shots Jim, I really enjoyed seeing them. When I was younger and both knees still worked
I played ultimate, it's a great game.

[arpaagent]

Originally Posted by timbo13

nice shots Jim, I really enjoyed seeing them. When I was younger and both knees still worked
I played ultimate, it's a great game.

Thanks. I agree, it's a fun game. And it's been gaining some popularity and growing over the years. I was captain and president of our college team (NC State) for a few years when I was playing in college. Yea, the game is pretty rough on the knees, sorta like soccer in that respect. Luckily, I am still young, and still play from time to time. I am debating trying out for this team next year, tryouts are competitive but it would be fun to play seriously again.

Cheers

[jimH]

Great action shots! good eye

[Ash]

Well captured - a fine lens used to its potential.
Great timing.

[arpaagent]

Originally Posted by jimH

Great action shots! good eye

Originally Posted by Ash

Well captured - a fine lens used to its potential.
Great timing.

Thanks both of you. Timing is critical to capture great action shots, especially because so much of the shot is out of your control. One of the most difficult things I've had to deal with when shooting sports is to get good shots that actually show the players faces well. Without getting the faces in the shot, you don't get nearly as much of the emotion captured in the photo.

[ikonographics]

Great shots! #2 is stunning!

[lilion]

FANTASTIC series... great action shots !!!

my fav is: #2. Extension

congrats !!!

[7.62lew]

Great shots! Thanks for posting.

[flyer]

I guess these guys could teach a dog how to catch a Frisbee.

[Big G]

Great shots - I'm interested to hear how the K-7 autofocus was? Fast and accurate?